Dispensers are commonly used to dispense fluids and powders such as lotions or soap, among others. For sake of simplicity, all dispensable products will be collectively referred to as “soap.” These dispensers generally include a housing into which a container, such as a bag or bottle, containing the soap to be dispensed is inserted. To maximize the use of the volume within the housing, in terms of the soap stored, the container is often sized or contoured to fit a specific housing. To ensure that the proper container is used with the appropriate housing, a system of keying the containers to their appropriate housings has been developed.
One form of such a keying system incorporates a collar key that is attached to the container and interacts with a receiver within the housing to secure the container therein. To match the container to the housing, the collar key has projecting keys extending outwardly from its surface that are arranged to fit corresponding keyways formed in the receiver. For example, a container may have a collar key that includes a key in the form of an outwardly projecting vertical rib. The corresponding housing would have a keyway in the form of a vertically oriented slot sized to receive the vertical rib. By making alterations in the key shape, size or arrangement, containers have been made such that they will only fit a particular housing. In terms of manufacturing, this ensures that the proper container is used with the proper housing. From the user's perspective, this allows the user to order the correct replacement container and ensure that its maintenance staff inserts the proper container in the proper housing.
Despite these advantages, the proliferation of dispensers has led to some consumers having several different dispensers; each requiring a different container with the appropriate key. As a result, these consumers are faced with purchasing containers with several different keys. While purchasing a single container to fit all of these housings may result in a loss of capacity in some of the dispensers, consumers have indicated that simplifying the stocking and replacement of containers by providing a universal container is desirable. Aside from choosing an appropriately sized container that could be received in all of these dispensers, to provide proper fit and securement of the container within the dispenser, a collar key that allows a single container to be used in multiple housings is needed.